136 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



of having to wait for the smoke to blow away. 

 As you pull the trigger, the swift-flying bird 

 collapses into a heap of tumbled feathers. Even 

 then the wind carries him on some yards ere he 

 falls with a thud, which answers for his plumpness. 

 As a table bird the stone-hen is not to be despised. 

 The flesh is more like that of pheasant than 

 of a partridge in taste. Some people say it has 

 an unpleasant flavour resulting from the taste 

 of a kind of wild sage, whose seed, with insects, 

 forms its principal food. I certainly never noticed 



anything objectionable about it. E 's greatest 



success was obtained by stewing the bird as the 

 French do partridges, but the stock used was 

 made from a hare. Then the bird was really 

 delicious. 



I have referred above to smokeless powder. 

 Why is it that Continental sportsmen — in advance 

 of us in many respects in matters relating to 

 shooting — hardly ever use it ? Italy is the only 

 country where I found it at all in common use, 

 the variety being our Schultze. Perhaps it is 

 like the prejudice against the 12-bore, which, 

 while the rule with us, is the exception abroad. 



I need hardly say that, numerically, great 

 bags are not to be obtained in this district. Half 

 a dozen birds per gun is a good average day ; 

 twice that number a very good one. I also 

 bagged a few fine strong hill hares. 



